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From: dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Perry G Ramsey)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Columbia showing her age?
Summary: The waste water line clogged, not the potable water.
Message-ID: <6407@mace.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 14 Dec 90 21:42:18 GMT
References: <20792.2765fbdf@merrimack.edu> <3309@phred.UUCP>
Organization: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Lines: 22

In article <3309@phred.UUCP>, petej@phred.UUCP (Pete Jarvis) writes:
> It isn't age that clogs filters and freezes waste water lines. When you have
> 7 people on board, using alot of equipment, you have alot of waste water to dump
> overboard. The fuel cells generate up to 7 lbs/hour (nearly a gallon). 
> Apparently the line heaters weren't able to handle it....Peter Jarvis....

There are two water systems, the potable and waste.  The potable water 
comes from the fuel cells and (obviously!) is the drinking water.
The waste water is urine and condensed cabin water vapor.  The
seven crew members have an impact on the amount of waste water generated.
The equipment in the back does not.

The real problem with the lines freezing (is it confirmed that they froze?
I still haven't heard.) is the constant inertial attitudes that
are required for astronomy missions.  It cold soaks
one part of the spacecraft or another, and the line heaters can't keep 
up.
-- 
Perry G. Ramsey           Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
perryr@vm.cc.purdue.edu   Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN USA
dil@mace.cc.purdue.edu   
 Why waste time learning when ignorance is instantaneous?  -- Hobbes